Cosplayers Photography Tutorial - Modeling

As a cosplayer, how do you get great pictures of yourself? Here are some tips:

Get to know a photographer: Ask around to see if any of your friends love to take pictures. Starts with a friend is the safest option. Try a photographer that offers free or paid photoshoots in a con will also work. Just to make sure you can get a reference of his/her work before you signup. A friend referral is always a good option. There are always bad people around, so make sure you shoot in a safe public place with a photographer that you never work with before. Also, bring a friend, parents, boyfriend/girlfriend with you. It is a clear warning sign if the photographer insists on coming solo.

Makeup. Yes, people will look at your face. In fact, people love looking at your face. As described in the exposure section, photographer will jump through hoops just to make sure your face is lighted up in the photo. In general, the way it works is that some light will be reflected off from your face to the sensor of the camera to form the photo. The lighting can be of natural light or a flash. If there is no makeup, your face will look more pale than real life. So, it is a good idea to put the right type of makeup during a photoshoot. Day makeup for daytime, night makeup for nighttime.

Costume. Unfinished costume can be very visible in a photoshoot. A wig that is falling off, a corner of a shirt that is unfinished, the unpainted part of a weapon, etc. Do try your best to finish everything before going to a photoshoot. It will be kind of sad if everything is picture perfect expect one little part of a unfinished custome in a cosplay.

Posing. A good photographer can give you guidance on posing. However, you should know best how to express your character. Some people are very natural in posing for pictures. Some people are not. How do you get better? Practice, practice, practice. The more you model, the better you get :)

A note on random shoot. How can you look good in a random shoot? Random shoot as in someone just walk up to you and ask for a picture. Well, a lot of factors can affect it. Lighting of the environment, whether you are tried or not, how comfortable you are when posing for stranger, all play a part in making a good random shoot. But in general, you just have to remember: You are a beautiful cosplayer and people take notice. So, just relax, have fun and smile :)